NOVEL WEB Chapter 26: A New Surge of Players
Earth, in a dimly lit hospital room.
The scent of antiseptic mingled with the soft hum of medical machinery. Tubes and wires snaked around the room, connecting to monitors and equipment that kept a frail old man — Jacky was his name — tethered to life. Despite the monitors’ rhythmic beeping, his eyes held a spark of anticipation.
“Is it about time?” Jacky’s eyes wandered to the digital clock nearby, finding that it was nearly six o’clock.
Beside the bed, a sleek VR gaming capsule awaited his touch. Its glossy surface reflected the dim light, almost like a portal to another world. Who would have thought that he would live long enough to see and use such breathtaking technology — something many had only dreamed of?
With trembling hands, the old man reached out, fingers tracing the edges of the capsule. A mixture of excitement and trepidation played across his weathered face. He had spent his life exploring the real world, navigating its twists and turns. Having dealt with household furniture and building materials for decades, he had made a large business that could last several generations. But for what?
Now, confined by illness and age, he was left mostly alone. He had no children with his wife, who was now seeing someone else secretly. She was solely interested in the inheritance prospects and eagerly awaited his gradual demise… He no longer had any relatives who truly supported him. Furthermore, the sole pursuit of his career had left him estranged from his old friends and comrades. The gaming capsule, which had been mysteriously delivered overnight, was a sudden glimmer of hope to escape reality — one that promised to whisk him away from his pain-ridden body and into a realm of limitless possibilities.
Following the step-by-step instructions on the official website, Jacky painstakingly detached the helmet from the capsule and put it on. Lying flat on his hospital bed, he closed his eyes, hesitating a moment as his mind filled with the countless stories he’d devoured during his time of confinement. The heroes he had only dreamed of becoming seemed within reach now.
Will this really work?
In that very moment of doubt, as his eyes remained shut, he saw a radiant beam of light pierce through the darkness, illuminating his vision. It was baffling — he was sure he kept his eyes tightly closed.
Startled, Jacky sat up in the clammy incubation pod. His surroundings were a far cry from the sterile hospital room he was accustomed to. A wave of heat enveloped him, reminiscent of a sauna, while unfamiliar odors assailed his senses, forcing him to take shallow breaths. Beneath his feet, the ground was unyielding, and as he flexed his fingers, the sensation of the world flooded back into his bones, filling him with exhilaration.
“This… Is this the world of the game?!”
He stood, surrounded by purplish-black stony walls, their surfaces exuding a mystic aura. Magical hatches adorned the space, and soft wisps of steam evaporated from his body, gradually stealing away his body’s chill. Every detail felt tangibly real, beyond the realm of a mere game.
Most importantly! Jacky’s gaze swept over his transformed hands, once weathered by time but now pulsating with vitality. Tentatively, he traced his once-wrinkled features, disbelief coursing through him. His touch roamed his rejuvenated body, a stark contrast to the frail and withered form he had known. His heart raced as realization dawned upon him. I’ve been reborn! His body was so young and void of the cancerous sickness that had been eating him alive!
Emotions surged within him, uncontainable and overwhelming. Tears welled in his eyes, tracing the contours of his incredulous smile before finally cascading down his cheeks. His voice, cracked with both disbelief and profound joy, echoed through the chamber. “I… I have been reborn!” The words were both affirmation and declaration, repeated again and again, as if to cement this newfound reality.
The other occupant of the chamber was stunned to see him acting like this, but Jacky was oblivious to the onlooker’s astonishment; his mind was resolute. To be young again. I cannot let this opportunity slip away! I will grasp this chance with every fiber of my being! I will be the embodiment of excellence in this game. Forever! Yes, forever.
To relive youth was a gift beyond measure, a chance to seize life anew. The tears of wonder turned into tears of determination.
Clenching his fists, Jacky made a vow to be the best in this game. Even though his physical body remained in the hospital room, his spirit was now free — exploring, conquering, and living anew in this game world.
***
Victor observed the new batch of players logging in from behind the scenes. Among the ten fresh arrivals, two were female players, which was a bit surprising considering the predominantly male demographic of the server. The girl who worked as a caterer, under the username “Princess_Tomato,” shared a chamber with the other female player. Naturally, Victor had no intention of invading their privacy by peeking.
In any case, Victor found it amusing to see the varied reactions of the players to their new surroundings. Some stood frozen, seemingly unable to process the reality before them, while others wasted no time in exploring and examining every detail. This was all within his expectations, except—
“Hrm? What’s wrong with this player?” Victor narrowed his eyes at a certain player.
The player in question had vibrant red hair and the youthful body of someone between fifteen and sixteen years old. However, his reaction to the immersion was extreme, bordering on overzealousness. He meticulously inspected every inch of his own body, as if he had just won a billion-dollar lottery. In fact, he went as far as literally crying tears of joy and shouting about being reborn or something equally cliché.
Obviously, Victor knew not such a player. Among the criteria to be selected, he made sure that none would be younger than eighteen years old to exclude those “primary school students” with eighth-grade syndrome as much as possible. After all, those kids were the most likely to cause trouble in the game.
Perched on his shoulder, Lizbeth answered in his stead, “That’s ‘ThunderLord999.’ He registered last among this batch, so you could say he lucked out. Despite that, his profession and unique circumstances still made him eligible…” and continued explaining the player’s backstory.
“Oh?” Victor raised an eyebrow, piqued by what little mischief she had in store.
While he participated in choosing which players would get the qualification, he hadn’t exactly read every single profile. Moreover, according to Lizbeth, this player registered right before the registration form was updated and had sent a convincing query to his Discord account, which led her to grant him access.
Victor nodded thoughtfully after learning the whole story; this guy was indeed qualified. On top of that, he could serve as an experiment to explore the potential of permanently transferring players from Earth. As for his reaction, it might have been a bit excessive, but it was still within the acceptable range for someone who had been on death’s door and was suddenly granted a new lease on life.
“Can’t really judge him,” Victor mused. With that thought in mind, he deactivated his Shadowlink Mark and left his office.
As he stepped out, he addressed Lizbeth. “Liz, guide them to the auditorium.”
“Aye!” Lizbeth saluted and closed her eyes.
Oh, so she can control her hologram by simply closing her eyes?
Regardless, he would meet them there to deliver what he liked to call an “inspiring speech” that was essentially a subtle form of propaganda.
***
“Are… Are you alright?” The other player in the same chamber as Jacky approached him with a concerned tone.
Having calmed down slightly, Jacky replied, “I’m fine…”
“With your insane reaction… Are you an NPC or something?”
Jacky’s response was swift and vehement. “Of course not! Do I look like an NPC to you?” Huh? Why am I so energetic over a minor misunderstanding? Is this perhaps due to inhabiting a younger body?
Despite being an old man well in his sixties, Jacky always had a young heart. It was part of the reason he had joined the Gamer’s Empire Discord server a few years back as his health declined more and more. He would spend his days playing video games to curb his loneliness and even went as far as using a voice changer app to sound younger when interacting with others.
“So, you are a player too! Man, for you to react so dramatically over the immersion… What are you, ten?” the other player commented and laughed.
Jacky shook his head, dismissing the notion. “It’s not that. You youngsters wouldn’t understand.” He decided not to elaborate further and simply introduce himself. “Anyway, I’m ThunderLord999.”
“Oof! You are the one who just had surgery, right? I’m Locktekei, by the way. Right, I will call you Thunder, then. Let’s team up!”
“Sure.” Jacky nodded. “According to the official website, there are clothes in the wardrobe over there.”
Having discovered the existence of the game only about two days ago, he had thoroughly scoured the official website and forums for information about this game. He was probably one of the most well-informed players in this batch.
Locktekei, realizing he was still in his birthday suit, immediately covered his private parts and hurried towards the wardrobe. “Oh, fuck! Damn, I forgot I was stark naked!” He opened it and found that it was chock-full of clothes.
Following Locktekei’s lead, Jacky picked out a set of clothes that suited his build and donned a gray acolyte robe. Now that he had regained a sense of decency, he was ready to join the academy. While dressing, he noticed the black mark on his wrist and remembered it could display his status screen. So, with a bit of concentration, he activated it, and a captivating blue holographic screen materialized before his eyes.
ThunderLord999
HP: 100%
MP: 0/0
Power Rank: None
Elemental Affinity: ???
Mana Aptitude: ???
Meditation Technique: None
Status: Healthy
Strength: (5)
Agility: (5)
Vitality: (5)
Magical Power: (0)
Infused Mana (total): (0)
The values for his strength, agility, and vitality were consistent with the benchmark of five, as indicated on the official website. However, his interest was piqued by the other pieces of information that were still labeled as “???”
Locktekei noticed the black mark on his wrist emit a glow and asked, “What is this thing?”
“It’s called ‘Shadowlink Mark.’ It lets you access your status screen. Wait, have you not come across this detail on the official website?” Jacky raised an eyebrow at him in mild disbelief.
“Of course, I’ve read it! I just didn’t connect the dots. Besides, there aren’t any first impression videos for this game. You know, to be honest, I was even a bit skeptical about it until I logged in a few moments ago.”
What he said made a lot of sense to Jacky. Only those with ample time and a great desire to learn like him would spend extra hours absorbing information, especially when the game's legitimacy was still in question.
“In any case,” Jacky closed his status screen and suggested, “let’s leave this chamber and go meet the other players.”
Without waiting for a response, he hastened to open the chamber door and stepped out.